Nintendo will release its family-friendly Switch console Friday, and it's developed a creative new way to deter young children from placing game cartridges in their mouths - by coating them with a non-toxic, bitter-tasting chemical.
“A bittering agent (Denatonium Benzoate) has also been applied to the game card,” a spokesperson told Polygon Wednesday. This was done “to avoid the possibility of accidental ingestion.”
Switch game cartridges are tiny - just 34mm by 23mm. They're even smaller than Nintendo's portable 3DS games.
Denatonium benzoate is used in antifreeze, animal repellents, liquid soaps, denatured alcohol and nail biting deterrents.
The bitter taste of the cartridges was first noted by GiantBomb last month.

Nintendo will release its family-friendly Switch console Friday, and it's developed a creative new way to deter young children from placing game cartridges in their mouths - by coating them with a non-toxic, bitter-tasting chemical.

“A bittering agent (Denatonium Benzoate) has also been applied to the game card,” a spokesperson told Polygon Wednesday. This was done “to avoid the possibility of accidental ingestion.”